A Te Xuan Christmas
by tervaco
Summary: It's Christmas time in Orchid Bay, but what does it mean when it starts snowing in southern California? Can June and the gang put a stop to it before the big day? And if not, what does it mean for a certain jolly old elf? Sequel to Crossroads
1. Snow In Orchid Bay

A Te Xuan Christmas

Chapter 1: Snow In Orchid Bay

Saturday December 22, 2007,

J C Penny, Orchid Bay Mall…

A familiar brunette haired teen made his way up to the cash register. He was dressed in a heavy green hoodie and khaki pants with a pair of black Vans sneakers. His bangs hung low over his face partially covering the scar over his left eye. As he looked up at the girl behind the counter, the light glinted off his glasses.

"Will this be all?" she asked scanning the belt and two ties the boy had handed her.

His green eyes flashed, "Yup, and can I get them gift wrapped?"

The girl nodded happily, "As soon as we're done here just take them down that aisle and to the little table and the woman can wrap them for you."

"Thanks," he replied, pulling out his wallet and handing her a credit card.

As the card machine was printing out the receipt the girl looked just past him to see how long her line was. Apparently a lot of people had waited to the last second to finish their Christmas shopping. Suddenly her heart froze and her eyes went wide as a man forced his way to the front of the line shoving the boy to the floor.

"Gimme all the cash in the register! NOW!" he screamed pointing a handgun in her face.

The girl froze up and started to stutter as she tried to open the register. There were tears forming in her eyes as she finally pulled it open.

"I don't got all day!" the gunman yelled pulling back on the hammer.

The girl screamed in fear just as a new voice sounded.

"Drop the gun and put your hands behind your head," it came, nice and calm.

The gunman turned around to see the bespectacled teen back on his feet, his face now fully revealed. His jaw dropped to the floor and his eyes were as wide as saucers as the teen stepped forward.

"You're him! That kid from the war, the one who shoots fire from his hands!" the man panicked bringing his gun arm up, "Now lets see your magic!"

It was over in a flash.

The teen threw a hook punch that connected with the man's jaw throwing him into a spin and left him sliding to the ground in a daze.

The teen then picked up the gun and put it on the counter, "You have any packing tape?" he asked the girl trying to snap her out of her own daze.

She dropped it in his hands and watched as he wrapped strands around the gunman's hands, feet, and mouth, then proceeded to tape him from one of the columns. All the while, the people in line watched, some in hysterics others in amazement. Finally, the boy walked back to the counter, signed the receipt and grabbed his bag.

"Merry Christmas," he said politely heading for the mall entrance.

The girl looked down at the receipt and started to shake when she saw the name, Chris Fields…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Juniper Lee set the phone down and smiled, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red as she blushed. Danny would be there the day after Christmas and was staying until New Year's Day. She might not be able to spend Christmas with him, but at least she'd get to spend some time with him over their winter break.

It had been a difficult year, what with the war, everything that had happened with Chris and Jody, Kale, all of it. Add into it the fact that the magical barrier had been brought down and the worlds of magic and man were trying to live together once more. School had restarted not long after the war, but it was hard for anyone to do much learning, almost as hard as it was for teachers to teach. Magical teens were very different from normal teens, as in the style of learning, subjects, customs, mannerisms, attitudes, appearances, and especially in abilities.

Melissa O'Malley had tried to establish herself as the princess of the school, the way she had done when it was just human students, but when a slime demon did what he did best, Melissa ran from the school screaming and had actually become quite scared of getting on the wrong side of one of the magical creatures.

There had been other incidents but when you went to school with the Te Xuan Xe there wasn't a lot you had to worry about. Unless, of course, you got caught in the crossfire when one of her or her brother's baddies came calling. Then you could rely on the magical kids to watch your back.

In fact, the fusion of both worlds had been mostly painless. There were still problems, that was the way it was and always would be, but since the worlds were aware of each other things were taken care of faster and easier.

June walked over to the Christmas tree in the living room and looked at an ornament with a picture in it. The picture was of her, Danny, Lila, and Chris just before Danny left for Amity Park. She missed his soft lips and delicate touch and the way he would comfort her whenever she was feeling sad and lonely, but mostly she just missed being able to snuggle up with him.

She closed her eyes and smiled thinking about the love of her life not noticing an orange figure landing out in front of the house. There came a knock at the door and then a call if she was home.

"Come on in Chris, I'm in the living room," she answered her brother's call.

He was looking better all things considered. It was amazing how much he'd changed, utterly amazing. He was no longer the touchy and explosive boy she'd known for all those years. That wasn't to say that he wouldn't take someone apart if they deserved it, but he tried to talk things out before resorting to violence…most of the time.

"Are you finally done with your Christmas shopping now?" she asked hanging the picture ornament back on the tree.

He plopped down on the sofa and let his head fall back, "Yeah."

June turned to face him, "Alright, what happened?"

He looked up at her, "What are you talking about?"

"I know you Chris, whenever you use that tone it's because something happened, now spill," June explained.

Several minutes later the Asian teen was laughing so hard it hurt.

"You literally wrapped him up for the cops? I guess you really do have that Christmas Spirit, ha ha ha!" she teased.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up," Chris responded.

"Did you stick a bow on his head?" she kept prodding and laughing.

The door bell rang and in stepped Lila, dressed in a heavy coat, but still wearing her sandals, "Hi guys…um, what's so funny?" she asked hearing June shriek with laughter.

Chris walked up and hugged her, "It's not important," he explained.

They had grown much closer since their missions together during the war, but every time he hugged her, she still blushed.

"Alright," Lila responded hiding her cheeks as she pulled off her coat and slung it over a chair, then plopped down next to June.

The trio flipped on the TV just as "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" started and kicked back to enjoy the special. Outside, the night sky began to grow cloudier and cloudier as the temperature dropped. Little did they know what was happening above them…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jody Irwin walked along the crowded streets side by side with Ophelia Ramirez, the girls joking about various things they saw and about what presents they would get or did get. Jody had already celebrated Chanukah and was wearing the red and black coat her sister had given her. It was odd, but around the holidays, Rachel was actually a relatively nice person…relatively being the key word.

"So, I gotta ask, are you getting something for Chris?" the punk girl asked, trying not to sound too interested, but not doing a very good job of it.

The blonde teen blushed, "I already did, it's just that…"

"You haven't given it to him yet and you're nervous about doing it," Ophelia finished for her friend.

Jody just nodded. It had been several months since the breakup, but her feelings had only grown stronger. She wasn't sure she'd made the right decision anymore…in fact she knew she hadn't but what was she supposed to say to Chris? Would he even think about taking her back?

"You're going to chicken out and leave it on his doorstep then ring the door bell and run, aren't you?" Ophelia asked, mildly amused at how childish Jody was sometimes.

"No," Jody said determinedly, "No, this time I'm going to hand deliver it to him."

"Did he get you anything?" the punk girl asked.

Jody paused and thought about it. No one knew, but he had made sure to get her a gift, the same way he'd done for years. The bracelet dangled under her jacket sleeve as she thought about his late night visit.

"You know he did," was all the blonde girl said before smiling very big.

She and Chris weren't a couple anymore, and despite the fact that the breakup was very hard on both of them, there was no anger or ferocity, in fact it was a lot like before they were dating.

The pair walked on in silence until a cold wind blew up through an alley, so strong it nearly knocked them both over. Suddenly, there was white hanging in the night sky as the streets began to turn white and the air turned even colder than it was.

"No way," Jody said happily.

"It's…snowing?" Ophelia asked, very confused.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Over the city, a man in a blue furred coat floated amid the clouds, a wicked smile upon his face. Around him, the clouds continued forming and ice and snow poured down from them. His white hair and blue tinted skin glowed in the moonlight that peered through the clouds as he kept pumping snow down over the city.

He would soon have his revenge on those that had wronged him in the past…

To Be Continued…

Okay, so, this is a close one, right? I mean a Christmas story a little less than a week before Christmas? Everyone else has already posted theirs and are putting the finishing touches on and I'm just starting… anyway, this is probably the shortest story I've ever written, only about 4 chapters, but whatever. On to the preview for part 2!!!!!!!!

So, drama abounds! Is there any hope for Jody and Chris? Can June last to the day after Christmas to see Danny? And what's the deal with Lila? Plus, who's the man in blue and what revenge does he seek? Chapter 2 is on the way with the answers and more!


	2. Jack Frost Nipping At Your Nose

A Te Xuan Christmas

Chapter 2: Jack Frost Nipping At Your Nose

Sunday December 23, 2007

Roger Radcliffe stumbled out his front door in his boxers and bathrobe, not noticing the ten inches of freshly fallen powder. As he stepped off his porch, his right foot slid out from underneath him and he skidded down the sidewalk, his bare chest rubbing against the icy ground.

Needless to say, the entire block woke up to his scream of shock…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June quickly pulled her robe over her body as she stepped out of the steaming shower. It was so cold! How could the temperature have dropped so much in just one night? As she moved down the hall to her room, she saw one of the windows completely frosted over. It was much worse than she thought. Maybe this was just freak weather or maybe there was someone she could pummel to make things normal again…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jody awoke to the sound of her father scraping the walk up to their porch, but he wasn't using a snow shovel, they didn't own one! In fact, it would be amazing if anyone in Orchid Bay actually had one. A big, goofy smile crossed her face as she looked out the window and down the street. Snow, in Orchid Bay, it had to be some kind of miracle. It never snowed there, it wasn't possible. It would get cold, bitter cold, but never ever snow.

Happily, she bounded down the hall and to the bathroom where she hopped into a warm shower to get ready for a very fun day…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chris had just finished melting the snow on his walk when Lila came up behind him.

"Tell me this is really as weird as I think it is," she pleaded.

The firecaster's hands reverted to their normal form and he smiled a little, "Well, it sure isn't normal, I can tell you that, but whether or not this is something more…I don't really know."

The Bigfoot huffed and then walked up to the boy's home, "Want me to throw a pot of coffee on?"

"There's one already on, feel free to have a cup," he told her, brushing himself off before crossing the threshold into his home.

"You know June's gonna wanna investigate," Lila told him, handing him a cup of the black liquid.

"Yeah, but then again I didn't have any plans today," Chris joked, sitting down at the kitchen table.

The pair sat in silence drinking their coffee and waiting for their friend to summon them. Chris' mind was a blur with possible explanations as to how it could have snowed there, but nothing added up. Across from him, Lila was busy trying not to lock eyes with him for fear that she wouldn't be able to stop herself from blushing furiously.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Nicolas, are you sure this is such a good idea?" the short creature asked.

"I have no choice, he's calling me out and I can't back down this time," Nicolas answered.

"Frost is insane and don't forget you have a big day on Tuesday. What are we going to do if anything happens to you?" the shorter one continued.

Nicolas pulled his red furred, white lined long coat on and pulled his belt tighter around his waist, "I'm sorry old friend, but its time to finish this, once and for all. Plus, this time I've got back up."

The shorter one walked with Nicolas to the hangar, "The girl and her brother? Forgive me for saying so, but you're absolutely out of your mind."

"The Te Xuan Ze and the last firecaster? Who could ask for better back up?" Nicolas said with a grin. "Take care of the place Chester and try to keep the others on schedule."

Chester watched as Nicolas' craft took to the air and soared out through the open hangar door, "Yes sir…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"He's coming," the blue skinned man chuckled, "Finally, I'll have my revenge on him and the Te Xuan Ze at the same time!"

Finally after all those centuries, his two most hated of enemies would be dealt with and then the power would be his…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June and Lila rode atop Haku as the white scaled dragon soared through the cool sky. Just below them flew Chris. They had been searching for several hours and were sick of it. First of all, they didn't know what it was they were looking for and second, it was freezing up there! Even Chris, who literally had fire in his blood, was cold. Now that was saying something about the temperature!

A ring tone version of "Apocalypse Please" by Muse started pouring out from June's pocket as Haku started his descent, "What's up Ray-Ray?" June asked through chattering teeth.

"Ashley, Dennis, and me still can't find any source for what's going on, how're things on your end?" the youngest Lee asked.

"Not good, we've been up here for a little over two hours, but all we've found is a lot of clouds and generally bad weather. We're coming home, I suggest you do the same," June told her little brother, "Maybe Ah-Mah knows what going on."

With that, the two teams called off their searches and returned to their home. It was hard to believe, but this weather was looking more and more natural every second. No one had claimed responsibility for it and normally whenever something like this happened, there were people fighting over who was going to get the credit for it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"I'm sorry kids, but the council is just as baffled as you are," Jasmine spoke into the receiver while pouring herself a cup of tea. "Yes I understand that it is very freaky, but we've got forecasters, magic specialists, frost demons, spell weavers, and even spirit technicians working on this and they can't seem to come up with any reason for this weather either. Alright, I think that would be best. Yes, I'll call you if we find anything. Alright, I love you too June. Bye bye."

The elder Lee set the phone down and walked into her living room, taking a seat upon the couch and looking over at her cozy fire. It was 4 o'clock and almost 0° out there! Once the sun set completely it would be even colder. Jasmine wanted to believe this was a completely natural freak occurrence of nature, but there was something that just wouldn't let her.

When a sudden and violent banging at her door ripped her away from her thoughts, she had convinced herself it wasn't natural. Her door had been turned to ice! As had part of the floor and walls around the door. What was going on here?!

"Hello?" she called pulling her sword close, "Who is it?"

A bone chilling voice called from behind the door, "I just need to warm up by a fire and use your phone. Please, I'm freezing out here!"

The former Te Xuan Ze was wary as she reached the door and looked out through the window. The man looked normal and he looked like he really was freezing. Quickly, she pulled open the door just as a blast of white flew at her knocking her back.

Jasmine reacted as quickly as she could, leaping to her feet and charging the man as he began glowing bright blue and reverted to a more devilish looking form.

"Frost!" Jasmine realized too late as he pointed a finger at her and flash froze her.

"That was far too easy my good lady," Jack Frost laughed, circling the frozen woman. "I certainly hope your granddaughter will offer more of challenge."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June sat staring out into the night. For some reason she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that had settled in her stomach. Something was going down out there, something she couldn't control and didn't understand. How could it possibly snow in California? Magic was the only possible answer, there just wasn't any other reasonable explanation. Not too mention, it was so bitterly cold out there! It was below zero now and the wind chill was dropping it even more.

"Something's out there," Lila declared leaning up against the window.

June quickly scanned the area, "What is it?"

The heat within the house started to drop as whatever it was got closer.

"Whatever it is, it's extremely powerful," Chris piped in, neglecting to mention the fact that he was actually cold.

As a firecaster he never felt cold, his body generated more heat than a normal human could handle and he had almost never felt cold. Now, however, a chill had begun shooting up and down his spine.

Ray-Ray and Ashley pushed their way between the teens to peer out the window, "What are you guys looking at?" the youngest Lee asked.

"Get up stairs and wrap yourselves up in a blanket," Dennis Lee ordered, finally coming up from the basement.

The quartet kept their eyes on the window.

"What is it Dennis? What do you know that we don't?" June asked nervously.

Her older brother had spent the last three years in England studying at Oxford University and under mystical experts. He would come home around Christmas, but the rest of the time he was usually dealing with the problems over there alongside June's clone Enuj and Danielle "Dani" Phantom. They were the European version of June and her crew. Since he'd left for England, his powers had grown immensely. Just being in the same room as him left her feeling mystified.

"We're gonna need help June," he told her, "It's too strong for us to take on alone."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nicolas finally made it to Washington, his craft roaring through the night sky, "I can't believe I can make it all the way around the world in one night when it's Christmas Eve, but any other time of the year it takes me nearly an entire day just to get to California."

His hands gripped the wheel tightly as he coasted down and kicked in the afterburners. He just prayed he got there in time.

It had been a century since he'd last faced Jack Frost and he wasn't sure he could defeat his ancient foe again. The last time, Nicolas had just barely beaten him. The beast had a hundred years between each battle to strengthen himself and prepare for the battle while Nicolas had his own duties to attend to and that didn't leave a whole lot of time for fight training.

In fact, if not for the Te Xuan Ze of the time, June's great-grandmother Mira, Nicolas would probably have been defeated. Mira was gone now, but Jasmine and June were still there. Nicolas just prayed he would get there in time…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jody sat side by side with Ophelia and Roger watching the Christmas special and laughing hysterically when she saw Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. It was a spindly little thing with a couple of small ornaments and a tiny star that made the whole thing droop over. The tree was actually pretty pathetic, but it had an important message, it wasn't the tree that was important, but the feelings that it elicited.

Ophelia crossed her arms and harrumphed as the special came to an end, "Do we really have to watch that every year? You're Jewish!"

"Just because I'm Jewish doesn't mean I can't like to watch Christmas specials," Jody retorted.

"I'm not complaining," Roger added only to have Ophelia rub her knuckle on the top of his head.

"At least it's over now," the punk girl spouted, "What do you wanna do next?"

Jody looked at the two of her friends and smiled, "Whatever you guys wanna do."

Ophelia smiled evilly, "I know what I wanna do…"

Roger gulped as the punk girl reached for his collar and pulled him close.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June, Dennis, Lila, and Chris stood out in front of the Lee house poised for attack as the wind whipped past them. Above them, Ray-Ray and Ashley watched from the boy's window as the mysterious force made its presence known.

Lila just barely leapt away from the blast as a blade of ice erupted from the ground. The others quickly scanned the darkness of the street searching for their attacker, but there was no one to be seen. Suddenly more ice blades began shooting up all around them as laughter rang out through the night.

Chris felt his blood chill as he dodged again and again. It was all he could do to keep moving as another attack exploded from the ground, this one sending him skidding across the snow covered lawn.

Dennis had finally had enough and, speaking an incantation under his breath, a red barrier swirled around him and the girls. He hadn't seen Chris slip into the darkness until the firecaster was thrown at the barrier.

The trio could only watch as the firecaster collided with it and was literally shocked by the barrier. Slumping to the ground, steam pouring off his shoulders, Chris spun to face their opponent, who now stood fully revealed in the light.

He was unlike anything any of them had ever seen. Jack Frost smiled wickedly as he approached them, the wind blowing his coat open to reveal his armored body. His cold, hate-filled eyes glowing as the light from the house glinted off his ice covered hands and chest.

"Come little firebug, show me what you can do," Frost teased.

Lila looked down at Chris and nervously watched him rise to his feet. The teen's body had already begun to exude power as his eyes glowed bright red and his skin burned with orange light. The snow at his feet began to melt away as he approached his icy opponent.

"You want it Frosty? You got it!" Chris yelled swinging with all his might.

The others couldn't even watch as Jack caught the firecaster's fist and proceeded to pound the living day lights out of him.

Slamming back into the barrier again, two thoughts rolled through his mind. One, why hadn't Dennis dropped the glowing bubble, and two, how was this guy able to stand up to a fully powered flaming punch?

Chris rose once more, the snow melting and sizzling as he stepped back in a fighting stance once again. Jack laughed, mimicking the teen's movements, egging him on even more.

The firecaster roared, charging forward, but just as he took his second stride a blue flash filled his eyes and he fell to the ground.

"NO!" Lila yelled as she watched Jack flash freeze her friend.

June and Dennis tried to hold her back, but she tossed both aside and leapt out of the bubble barrier causing it to pop. As she landed, Jack fired several volleys of ice and snow at her in an attempt to slow the Bigfoot down, but she ducked, dipped, dodged, or dove over each attack until she was right up in his face.

Her first punch was blindingly fast and actually caught Jack off guard sending him sliding back across the lawn, unprepared for the second vicious attack right after the first.

Dennis knelt over Chris quickly trying to see if there was anything he could do to free his younger brother, "June I…go help Lila, I'll do what I can here. Maybe if we beat this guy, Chris will wake up." The Te Xuan Ze nodded and ran to join Lila in her assault against Jack leaving Dennis to work on Chris, "Come on bro, you gotta wake up!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ophelia and Jody were rolling on the ground laughing as Roger tried to free himself from the snowman the punk girl had stuffed him inside. The snowy construct shifted left and right as the boy wiggled, kicked, and punched trying to get out, but it was to no avail, he just couldn't free himself.

Finally, Jody walked up to the defeated Roger and grabbed him by the shoes, pulling him free of his snow prison, "That was really funny O, but did you have to put him in upside down?"

The punk hadn't stopped laughing yet, but Jody could already guess at the answer as Roger mumbled, his mouth covered by a sticker that said do not open till Christmas.

As the blonde girl freed Roger's hand and feet she suddenly felt very cold and shot up to her feet. Something was wrong, she could feel it, something was wrong with Chris. He was in pain!

Running to the side of her house, Jody mounted her bike and began peddling as fast as she could, leaving Ophelia looking up at a very mischievous Roger, holding the snowman's head in his hands.

"Don't even think about it!" Ophelia yelled, just as Roger dropped the head.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Behind her Jody could hear a very familiar scream fill the air. She considered turning around to see what Ophelia was yelling about, but that feeling of dread grew stronger as she continued peddling. Cornering in snow while on a bike wasn't an easy thing, but she made it around without slipping or falling over. June's house was just four blocks up from where she was and she could tell something very bad was going down. As she continued pumping her legs harder and harder, she noticed that the street lights had blown out around June's house for a two block area.

"Please," she said pushing herself to keep going, "Please let them be okay!"

She didn't expect what she found as she neared the house of her closest friend.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila stood, frozen in place, while June cradled her left arm. It had been frozen from the shoulder down and was beginning to lose feeling. Behind her, Dennis was trying to pry the ice from over his mouth, but he just couldn't get a good grip on it.

"You've put up a very valiant fight, children," Jack told them smugly, "But, just like your grandmother, you've failed to stop me!"

June and Dennis looked at him in a mix of shock and hate and rushed him from either side.

Ray-Ray, Ashley, and Jody could only watch as the last two fighters were flash frozen and Jack's evil laugh filled the air. The blonde teen ducked down behind the snow covered bushes, tears pouring from her eyes, as Jack gathered up his fallen foes and disappeared into the night sky.

In the Lee house, Ashley held Ray-Ray tightly in her arms as he cried, trying to pry away from her and get down to his sister, but it was already too late. There was nothing they could do now…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nicolas already knew it was too late. The battleground had mostly been covered by the freshly falling snow, but he knew the signs too well. The lawn was covered in shattered pieces of ice and broken constructs. As the red cloaked man approached the house he heard the sounds of someone crying. Looking over the top of the bushes he found Jody hunched over, tears pouring from her eyes, her back shuddering with each breath.

"Are you alright?" Nicolas asked resting a hand on her drooped shoulder.

Jody was on her feet in a flash, pulling away from the man in red.

"Its alright, I'm a friend," he assured her as he backed away.

Jody was dumbfounded as she took him in. The man was about six foot three inches, with snow white hair and a full beard and moustache. He was dressed all in red, with black gloves, boots, and a belt, and white trim on everything. His eyes were kind and caring, which made her calm down a little, but she was still blown away by his visage.

"Santa…?" she said awkwardly.

"You're here!" came a new voice from behind.

The pair spun to see Ray-Ray and Ashley burst through the door and run up to the man in red, latching on to him in desperation.

"It looks like I've got some work to do…"

To be continued…

Whoa, June, Lila, Dennis, Jasmine, and Chris all captured? Jody, Ray-Ray, and Ashley alone to save the day? Santa in Orchid Bay? Ophelia and Roger alone for the night? Yeah, so this is very bad, but can the man in red save the day? Maybe, just maybe, but what about his compatriots? Jody and Ray-Ray are relatively normal human beings and Ashley's a bumbling witch. How much help can they really be? And what does it mean that Jody knew something had happened to Chris? Is there hope for them yet? Only time and the next chapter will tell…


	3. White Christmas

A Te Xuan Christmas

Chapter 3: White Christmas

December 24, 2007

Jack walked up the line, stopping to look each of his trophies directly in the eye. It was hard to believe he'd managed to defeat all of them so easily sure the Bigfoot had landed several hits and the firecaster had come close, but beyond that, he'd had little trouble in capturing any of them. Now it would come down to his last battle, the big guy himself, St. Nicolas, otherwise known as Santa Claus.

"Soon Claus, soon you'll be joining your friends here as an ice sculpture and I'll be taking this world!" Jack happily announced, his wicked laugh filling the halls of his cavern.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"I still can't believe this," Jody said shivering.

Beside her sat Ray-Ray, Ashley, and Monroe, while Nicolas piloted the sleigh from the front seat.

"What's so hard to believe? That Santa's real or that he's a magical being?" Monroe asked.

"Well, both really, I mean I always knew there was a real St. Nicolas, but the rest of it," Jody began to answer.

"All legends and myths are based on some truth, Jody," Nicolas called over the wind whipping by as they soared through the air. "It just so happens that my sainthood was based on several of the magical abilities I was born with."

"But brand name toys and other things? What kind of powers are those?" the blonde girl asked.

In truth, it wasn't a very intimidating power, but when it came to fulfilling someone's wishes, that ability was the best thing you could ask for. For centuries now, Nicolas had been bringing Christmas cheer all around the world, but what no one knew was that he was also a guardian against Jack Frost. Frost's main ambition was to freeze the world over and rule the wasteland it would become, but Nicolas had been able to stop every time.

Unfortunately as the years passed, Nicolas had begun to slow down and lose strength, but that was where the Te Xuan Ze came in. The guardian of the magical world working with a guardian of the human world made quite a team, and so every generation, the Te Xuan Ze helped Nicolas push Frost back into his prison for another hundred years. This time however, Frost got the drop on the Te Xuan Ze and had managed to capture her and her entire team.

"That just leaves us to save the day," Nicolas said under his breath, more than angry that it had come down to him, two adolescents, a Scottish pug, and a non-believing teen, "I just pray we can figure something out before Frost becomes too much stronger."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jack laughed as he twisted the area outside of his prison around and brought icy towers erupting up through the ground. Once they had been built, he turned his attention to some guardians of his own to deal with any interlopers that came looking for trouble. Each golem was creepier and more twisted than the last until he'd created five icy, demonic versions of each of his trophies. They were hunched over, their blank eyes glinting in the sun light, each wearing a hideous smile.

"This is going to be even more fun than I thought," Jack said spotting the familiar red sleigh and turning back to his golems, "You know what to do…"

With that he walked back to his throne room and plopped down in the throne, waiting and watching as the sleigh drew closer and closer.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nicolas was the first out, a wooden walking stick in his hands as he scanned the area. It was obvious that Frost had been busy since his escape. The area had been transformed into a frozen tundra, the sun just barely managing to shine through the thick clouds overhead. At least it had stopped snowing for the moment, Nicolas thought as turned back to the others.

"Now listen, Frost has your friends and I'm going to get them back, but I need you to stay here and out of trouble," he explained very carefully, "especially you Ray-Ray!"

The youngest Lee couldn't help but smile a little, "Come on Santa, I'm good, you know that."

Nicolas drooped his shoulders as he shrugged, "Why do I even bother trying to stop you, if your sister can't control you, what makes me think that I can?"

"Uh, Mr. Claus," Jody asked timidly.

The man in red responded gruffly, "Yes Jody?"

"What are those?" the blonde teen asked, quickly pointing at four beings that had suddenly popped up and begun to spread out around the sleigh.

Nicolas couldn't believe he'd allowed them to get so close. He was definitely getting to old for this! He whacked the tip of his walking stick down with a thunder crash, changing the stick into a gold, metal pole.

Jody and the others were blown back as the man in red dashed forward, leaving only a red trail as he swung at the first golem only to freeze just before the pole connected. He couldn't believe his eyes! The golem that looked like June…it wasn't as empty as he originally thought!

Ashley shoved Ray-Ray and Jody out of the sleigh just as the golems that looked like Lila and Dennis smashed down on top of it. The trio quickly realized what had stopped Nicolas.

Within each of the golems was a member of their family! The Lila golem leaned back to emit a horrible screechy laugh as Dennis and Chris charged forward grabbing the kids by the throats and lifting them into the air. Ashley wanted so desperately to light one of them up with a fire spell, but she couldn't risk hurting Dennis, who was trapped within.

"Wait a second, just 'cause I can't use it on Dennis doesn't mean…" she didn't get to finish as the Dennis golem back handed the witch and send her skidding across the ice.

Ray-Ray, on the other hand, had no qualms nailing his older brother with a charm he'd pulled from his pocket. The blue gem allowed him to lift the Chris golem telekinetically and the boy certainly didn't let it go to waste as he sent the golem flying high into the air and then turned the spell off, letting it plummet.

A smile crossed the youngest Lee's face as the golem hit the ground and shattered, freeing Chris, "Looks like you own me this time, bro!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jody had been ducking and weaving, barley avoiding the Lila golem's attacks, but she was getting tired and the golem just wouldn't let up. That was when she tripped and fell back. There was nowhere to go as the golem brought its hands up and ice blades formed along its arms.

The blonde teen had gone there to save her ex-boyfriend and her best friend, but now she was the one that needed to be rescued. As the golem's arms came careening down one thought rocketed through her mind, she'd never get to see Chris again…

…

…

Nothing happened…slowly looking up she saw the golem fall to its knees and topple over to the side, its head shattered and its stomach melting away to free the unconscious Lila.

"How…?" Jody asked looking to her right to see Chris being supported by Ray-Ray, until the duo tipped over, a cloud of loose snow going up around them as they landed with a thud.

Jody smiled at that. She did get to see him again…but they were still in danger and there would be time to worry about her still burning emotions later. Grabbing Lila's arm and pulling it over her shoulder, the blonde teen lifted her brunette friend up and walked back over to the remains of the sleigh.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chris fired two more shots freeing his remaining brother and his sister and then the group watched as Nicolas made his way into the ice cavern to face off against Jack Frost. The group ran as fast as they could, carrying their fallen friends until they came to the entrance to the cave.

"You've gotten old and fat, Nicolas," Jack said, still sitting comfortably in his throne.

Nicolas pointed his pole at Jack, "Stand and face me, or do want me to just clock you one now and get it over with?"

"Ha ha ha! You've still got that dry wit, I see. Well, I've got news for you old man, its time for you to retire and for me to take my rightful place as ruler of this pitiful little world," Jack explained.

"Hmph, even if you could kill me, those children out there wouldn't let you destroy their world!" Nicolas yelled.

"Of course they wouldn't, they were trained by the best right?" the ice elemental asked with a smile, "Well let's just see how much they've learned, shall we?"

Nicolas spun just as Ray-Ray screamed. A fifth golem had appeared, this one three times as large as the others and within its chest hung Jasmine Lee, but there was something more sinister about this one. With a wave of it right hand a wall of ice cut Nicolas off from the others, leaving him alone to face Jack Frost.

"Just you and me now, cupcake!" Jack happily announced.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ashley and Dennis barely dove away from the golem's slash as it ripped into the ground sending ice and snow flying into the air. Jody and Lila weren't as lucky as the golem turned to them and unleashed an ice javelin the shattered and fell into place all around them as a prison. Lila was still too weak to bust them out, effectively cutting them off from the battle. Dennis and Ashley concentrated their individual spells on the golem's legs trying to find a way to incapacitate it, but nothing could get through its thick legs.

They couldn't get away as it formed a dome with its hands and slammed it down on top of them, trapping the spell weaving duo within. That was four down three to go as it quickly spotted Chris and June, the Asian teen supporting her brother as he charged up a massive blast of fire, but just his attack collided with the golem's body, a glowing blue spell circle appeared and absorbed the entire brunt of the blast.

"No way!" Chris yelled angrily as June tried to pull him away from the golem's response.

June was forced to leap away as the blast of ice hit Chris head on. When the snow clouds cleared, she saw him sprawled out on the ground, his body coated in ice, only his head was free.

"I'm s-s-so c-cold!" he sputtered.

He hadn't recovered enough from his initial flash freezing and his last attack had all but drained him of his remaining power. Now it would fall to June and Ray-Ray to stop the Ah-Mah golem and then get inside the ice cavern to help Nicolas defeat Jack Frost…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"You talk a big game, icicle, but you're all just talk!" Nicolas yelled slamming Jack down as hard as he could.

The elemental coughed as the wind was knocked out of him. He'd underestimated Nicolas' fighting skill, but if he could just stay out of the old man's reach long enough, Jack may be able to take him down with a few well placed ice missiles.

Fortunately, the man in red was faster than the elemental had counted on and in the blink of an eye he was on top of Jack. Right hook, left uppercut, Nicolas swung again and again, then grabbed Jack by the collar and brought him around and down onto the man in red's waiting knee.

Jack coughed as he slid to the ground and rolled onto his back. How was this happening? He was supposed to win this time and yet here he was, beaten to a pulp, and ready to throw in the towel…at least he'd still have his revenge on the Te Xuan Ze…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Ah-Mah!" Ray-Ray yelled at the top of his lungs as the golem dropped the defeated June into a snow drift.

The ice beast had defeated each of its opponents leaving only Ray-Ray to stand alone against its might, but what could he do? He was only twelve and had no magical powers. Somewhere in the midst of the chaos he'd lost the trinket he'd used to free Chris and now there he was staring the creature dead in the eye.

It roared as it bent down to look Ray-Ray right in the face, but suddenly it stopped and started to shake as a light appeared in its belly. Shooting back up to its feet, the light erupted out through the front and back of its body and it coughed once the fell face first to the ground.

Ray-Ray watched in amazement, as did everyone else, as Jasmine stood up and stepped out of the melting ice beast's body, "Did you all miss me?" she asked jokingly.

Suddenly behind them, Jack Frost was sent screaming out through the top of his ice cavern and he slammed down several feet in front of them, his body battered and beaten, his eyes crossed, and muttering something incoherently.

"At that's that," Nicolas said appearing beside Jasmine, "Now there's only one thing left to do.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June sat by the fireplace with Ashley, Ray-Ray, Dennis, and Lila. Jasmine and Nicolas stood talking in the kitchen while Jody and Chris stood outside the house looking up at the cloudless sky and the blue moon shining down on top of them.

The pair said nothing, content to just be in one another's company.

Then finally, "You look good," Jody said.

Chris looked down, "You too."

It hadn't been this awkward between them since long before they started dating.

"I…I've missed getting to hang around with you so much," the blonde girl blurted out, turning to face him.

She was really blushing now and there were tears forming in her eyes. She wanted to tell him everything that had been pounding around in her head and twisting her heart, but she was afraid of how he'd respond.

He didn't say a word. Instead, Chris softly pulled her into a hug and rested his head upon her own. Her soft body felt so good pressed up against his own, but he had to fight the urge to do more than just hold her. It was so hard, but he had to control his emotions. What Chris didn't realize was that Jody was telling herself the same thing.

From the window, Ashley and Ray-Ray watched the pair and smiled warmly. Maybe, just maybe there was hope for them yet…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nicolas was finally ready to leave, but before he did he had handed out the group's presents. There was even one for Jody, which was surprising considering she was of the Jewish faith, but the blonde teen didn't complain.

"Thank you all for your help," Nicolas said warmly, "I don't know how I would have done it without you."

And with that he took off into the night sky and disappeared in a bright white flash.

Back in front of the house, June turned to her grandmother and asked, "But what did we do? I mean, he brought Jack down all on his own, didn't he?"

Jasmine laughed, "Nicolas may have fought Jack alone, but he had our own power there to support him. Our faith is what made him strong enough to win the battle and save the day."

"So you're saying that he didn't really need our help, he just needed us to be there so he could leech off our powers?" Dennis asked, more than a little confused.

"In a way Dennis, but there's more to it than that," Jasmine answered, "Nicolas draws his strength from a different pool of magic than most magic users. Whereas others just use the common levels for their spells and enchantments, Nicolas' relies on faith to perform his deeds, so if you don't believe in him, he has one less person to draw strength from."

While Jasmine explained the way Nicolas' powers worked, Chris walked alongside Jody.

He walked her all the way home, but neither had said a word. It was too difficult to say anything without allowing their emotions to get the best of them. Chris was still under the impression that she was afraid of his powers, while Jody was too afraid to hurt Chris again to admit that she wanted to be with him so badly it hurt. What neither realized was that it was their mutual inability to express their love for one another that was causing more pain and heartache than anything else.

Finally they arrived at Jody's home and at the door they locked eyes and drew closer. A hug, a light peck on the cheek, a good night, and two forced smiles as they parted ways and Chris began his walk back home.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Christmas was tomorrow and the gang had managed to help Nicolas prevent Jack Frost from taking over once more. Christmas was saved, Jack Frost was sealed away once more, and Nicolas was already beginning his rounds to bring presents to all the good little girls and boys. So, saying their goodnights, the Lees retired to their homes, Ray-Ray and Ashley having to be dragged to their separate rooms, leaving Lila and Chris out in front of the firecaster's home.

"So Lila," he said, "what are you doing for Christmas Day?"

The Bigfoot shook her head, "Nothing. All of my family are out there in the wilderness right now and it would take some kind of miracle for me to find them all."

Chris lifted her head to look into her eyes and smiled, "You want to spend Christmas with me and the others?"

Lila smiled as big as she could and hugged him so tight that she popped his back. With that, the pair walked back to the Fields home and went to sleep in separate rooms while dreams of what tomorrow held danced in their heads…

To be continued…

A bit of an awkward ending to the main part of the story, but I like it and now it's on to the big day. Christmas morning is next, but what does it hold? Has a new love blossomed? Is it possible for Jody and Chris to just be friends? And what about the others? Will they support a new relationship or will they try to mend the broken one? Well you'll all just have to wait until the next story for that little bit!


	4. Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

A Te Xuan Christmas

Chapter 4: Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

It was six A.M. Christmas morning as the familiar form of Chris Fields made his way up the row to the old grave he'd visited every year since he was nine. It was adorned with Celtic symbols and a large cross on the very top of the tombstone and resting and its feet were several roses and wreaths. It got harder and harder every year to make this trip, but he knew it was something he had to do. Not just out of obligation or respect, but because he loved his parents and would never want them to think otherwise.

Standing at the grave he slowly looked it over to find that the groundskeepers had actually done a good job of keeping his parents' grave clean. There were some cards there too, one from an old friend of his father's, another from a former enemy now retired, and one from Ah-Mah. She also made sure to visit them every year to wish them well and to assure them that Chris had grown into a fine young man.

"Merry Christmas guys," Chris said somberly, setting the roses down softly.

A cold wind blew through the graveyard as he stood there talking to them. To anyone walking by it would have seemed an odd scene, but to Chris it felt like they were right there talking back to him. He explained about everything that had happened that year, from his relationship with Jody and how that had gone, to his discovery of his powers, and even to his final showdown with Kale. When he got to the part about the war, Chris stopped.

"I've changed a lot since you guys last saw me, I just hope that you're proud," the firecaster said.

He smiled slightly, nodded his head then started back home. As he exited the graveyard he hoped they were looking down at him and, more than anything, that they were smiling.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ray-Ray awoke with a shock and sat up in bed, wide eyed, mouth hanging open, "IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Down the hall from her brother, June rolled over and moaned. She was happy it was Christmas Day, but she was just so tired. How did that little freak have all that energy especially after what had happened the day before?

She reached over to her nightstand and picked up the alarm clock, bringing it right up in front of her face. Her eyes took a second to adjust, but when they did she found it was nine o'clock. Ray-Ray had actually slept a little later than he normally did, so she couldn't complain too much.

Rolling out of bed, the Te Xuan Ze pulled on her pajama bottoms and slippers then trudged over to her door. Outside, her little brother was running up and down the hallway yelling happily about it being Christmas morning and for everyone to wake up. She could already tell this was going to be a long day…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila came down the stairs dressed only in a long t-shirt and scanned the living room. There in the corner stood Chris' tree. It was sparkling with light as the strings of multi colored lights blinked on and off rapidly. Underneath the tree were several wrapped boxes and various shaped presents and sitting on the couch, dressed in his blue pajamas, was Chris.

He was wrapped up in a blanket with his head hanging back as he snored. The Bigfoot smiled and then walked over to him and sat down at his side. Softly, she rested her head on his shoulder and looked over at the tree once more. The twinkling lights were mesmerizing as she sat there, resting comfortably against her friend.

However, his scent was intoxicating and that created a new problem. Despite her blushing, rosy red cheeks, Lila refused to leave his side as he slept. When his arm softly wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her close, she nearly melted. This was what she really wanted, but at the same time, she didn't want to hurt Jody by getting too close to Chris. Too bad her instincts didn't see it that way…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Michael and Barbara Lee sat laughing as their children unwrapped each of their gifts. June was happily humming along to her new Killers CD while Ray-Ray was playing his brand new Gameboy DS. Dennis on the other hand was strumming the new bass and trying to remember those old songs they had used to play. On the other side of the room sat Ashley. She'd been living with them for so long that she'd practically become family and she too had several gifts to play around with, including a new dress that she proudly displayed as she twirled around then stooped down to pull Ray-Ray close.

It had been a perfect Christmas morning, despite Ray-Ray's early awakening and everything that had happened the day before. There were still a couple of presents sitting under the tree though. They belonged to Jasmine and Chris who would be joining them later that night. Until then the Lee's had their own presents and surprises to occupy themselves.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Bigfoot still couldn't believe it. She hadn't expected anything for Christmas, but Chris had actually gotten her a couple. The first was a new, handmade necklace to replace the one that had been destroyed back during the war and the second, well the second was a picture of all of them together. It wouldn't seem like much to anyone else, but to Lila that picture meant the world.

The firecaster on the other hand, was graced with a hand carved statuette of himself and several others. There was one of Jody, June, Lila, and Ray-Ray. Lila had promised that there would be more to which Chris surprisingly became overjoyed. It was amazing that something so small could make him so happy.

Beyond the presents they had gotten for each other, good ol' St. Nic had bestowed a great surprise upon both of them. Chris had received a small golden box. There were no directions, no notes, nothing. It was a little confusing, but the firecaster was happy nonetheless, because he'd also received a new sketchbook and supplies to go along with it. The first of Lila's presents was a bracelet made from the wood of one of the rarest trees in the world and the other was special stone that could track the movement of her tribe wherever they were. The pair hugged one another then walked upstairs to get dressed and head over the June's for Christmas dinner.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Finally all together, all the presents opened, the entire Lee family, along with Lila, Ashley, and Chris sat down for dinner. As they ate, the family spoke amongst themselves of all their wondrous presents and all the fun they would have before having to returning to school. Lastly, as with every year, Ah-Mah made her toast.

"We've had a very big year," she started, getting nods from everyone at the table, "And though we still have things to work out, whether they be secrets or what have you, we made it through it all together as a family. Though there are those with us tonight that are not bound by blood, we are all still family none the less. I hope that in the coming year we can continue to pull together and work as a family to face everything the new year throws at us."

With that, everyone announced, "Here here!" and drank from their cups.

Returning once more to their presents, the kids all played and talked amongst each to other while Ah-Mah stood with Michael, watching over them.

"They're an amazing group," the elder Lee said.

"You better believe it," Michael responded happily.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Standing outside the house, Chris stood alone in the moonlight holding the little golden box the man in red had given him. There were no instructions and nothing that explained anything about the item, but as he opened it, a light exploded out from the box and grew around the firecaster. As the smoke from the bo swirled around him he heard a familiar voice.

"You've got five minutes," it said.

Chris didn't understand, "What do you mean five minutes? What's going on?"

A new voice called from behind, "Hello son."

The bespectacled teen went wide eyed and slowly turned to find his parents smiling at him…

The End

Merry Christmas everybody! Hope you all liked this teeny tiny little Christmas fic and I'll see you all next year for more adventures with the family you've all come to love! Thanks for all the reviews and best wishes for your holiday season!


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